Basen

Basen is a Polish noun with several related meanings. In everyday language, the word most often refers to a swimming pool, whether public or private, and it is commonly found in contexts such as sports facilities, hotels, or family homes. A basen is typically a watertight structure equipped with filtration, heating, and chemical treatment systems to maintain cleanliness and safety for bathers.

Geographically and hydrologically, basen denotes a basin or watershed—the natural or artificial depression on the Earth's surface where precipitation and runoff collect and flow toward a common outlet, such as a river, lake, or sea. This usage encompasses natural geological basins as well as engineered water bodies designed for flood control, stormwater management, or sedimentation, often termed retention baseny or sedimentation basins in engineering contexts.

In broader technical usage, basen can describe any bowl-shaped or low-lying enclosure that collects or stores material, water, or sediments. The term appears in disciplines such as geography, hydrology, and civil engineering, reflecting both natural formations and man-made structures.

Grammar and usage notes: basen is masculine in Polish. The plural is baseny, and the genitive singular is basenu. The word is commonly used across Poland in everyday speech as well as in formal writing, with the meaning inferred from context.

See also: basin (hydrology), retention basin, sedimentation basin.